Susan's story
by Italian-Rose-xxx
Summary: Before Romeo met Juliet, before the tragedy everyone knows so well, there was another tragedy. Susan's story, the tale never told... until now.
1. Prolouge

Susan's story.

Prolouge

_One household_

_Ne'er matched in dignity_

_The story not of them_

_But of another_

_The nurse's daughter._

_Our tragedy._

_Her irrevocable death_

_And her pain-filled life_

_Is now the six chapters story on your page._

_The which, if you, with patient eyes shalt read_

_Her memory kept_

_Our toil shall strive to mend_


	2. Birth

* * *

Susan's Story, Chapter One

_Author's note:- Apologies for the delay. I had terrible writers block, still do, a bit, so if this isn't as good as it should be, please forgive me._

Angelica sat on the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around the young baby in her arms. The child cooed up at her and smiled. Her hair was a feathery down and she was wearing a pink dress that was much too big for her, Angelica noted. She sucked milk from her breast happily.

'You were hungry, weren't you, my Susan-star,' she whispered.

All around her, in the house, or mansion rather, preparations were being made for the party that was to honour the baby that was Juliet, Lady Capulet's daughter. Angelica silently tried to block out the noisy Samsara of the world.

'What are you doing?'

Samsara, thy name is Tybalt.

The two year old was staring at her with round brown eyes as big as saucers. Angelica hastily covered herself up.

'What are you doing?' Tybalt asked again.

'I'm feeding baby Susan.'

'Beedin baby 'dusan,' Tybalt repeated. He walked over to where Juliet lay sleeping.

'Hab a party for my cousin Doolie later.'

'Yes, later,' said Angelica.

'They have pink 'loons. I love my pink 'loons.'

'I know you do.'

Tybalt kissed Juliet on the head. 'She very 'leepy.'

Angelica nodded. She just hoped Juliet would awaken in time for the party. She smiled at Tybalt, but hoped he would leave. She needed to finish feeding Susan.

He showed no signs of wanting to leave, though and instead sat down on the bed beside her, playing with the duvet.

'Lot a people comin' party. 'Truchi comin',' he said.

Seven year old Petruchio was Tybalt's favourite cousin. He always followed him every-where when they were together. Poor Petruchio had his work cut out for him tonight. Tybalt was hard going at some points.

'Isn't that nice?' Angelica cooed. 'You'll have someone to play with.'

Tybalt nodded and put his thumb in his mouth. 'Bib cafe.'

'You what?'

'Bib cafe,' he repeated, though slower this time. He smiled up at her with a sweet child's grin. Angelica shook her head at him in confusion. He took his thumb out of his mouth.

'Big cake.' He said. 'Big cake for baby party.'

'Ohhh, a big cake? What kind of cake?'

'I no know. I thinks it yocalate. Bunny 'wabbit cake.'

Tybalt got up and began to walk out the door.

'Dee you ada party, baby Doolie and Baby 'Dusan.'

With that, he was gone and there was silence once more.

* * *

The silence didn't last long. Before Angelica knew it it was three o clock, time for the party and she had the girls washed and dressed. Lady Capulet came and snatched Juliet out of her arms without so much as a thank you. She looked at her beautiful daughter with a smug look in her eyes. To her, Juliet was the fanciest prize to be won at a raffle. Not a child.

'Go on, then, make haste, let's not wait for the grass to grow.' She snapped.

She began the walk to the room where the party was being held. Angelica followed suit. When they got in there shew couldn;t believe the amount of people that were there, clapping and cheering for the only Capulet daughter. In an instant, it seemed, Juliet was being smothered, hugs and kisses galore, while she stood on the sidelines.

'A beauty, isn't she?' Marissa Capulet asked.

'She is that, certainly.'

'Bernardo's just gone to take Tybalt to the toilet.'

'Okay.'

Marissa shook her head. 'He's been so excited, talking about this for weeks. Goes on and on about the presents Juliet's getting. I think he's hoping he'll get one too.' She laughed. 'Little precious.'

'Yes, Ma'am. Though I suppose your son is only little and doesn't understand.

'Have you seen Petruchio anywhere?' Marissa asked, changing the subject.

'No, Ma'am. I haven't, ma'am.'

'I shall look for him,' she added as an after thought. 'And tell him you want him.'

'Thank you, Angelica.'

Angelica walked off. It took her time to find Petruchio, who was sitting on a chair on his own, scowling.

'What's wrong? Marissa and Bernardo are looking for you, did you know?'

'I know. To look after Tybalt, probably.' He stretched his legs. 'God, I don't want to look after the little _eeijit.'_

Angelica decided to ignore the last comment. 'I bet you'll have fun, though. He loves playing with you and you'll be being a big helper.'

Petruchio shook his head. 'Maybe later. Tell Marissa and Bernardo I said hello. I suppose you might as well command me to that gob-shite as well.'

Angelica wondered then, how Tybalt could want to play with Petruchio and how Petruchio could turn down a boy who was so good and kind. Clutching Susan to her chest, she gently kissed her forehead. 'Come on, Susan, let's go and give Juliet our present.'

Angelica had bought Juliet a rose, because it reminded her of her beauty and long red hair.

She handed the rose to Lord Capulet, who grunted. 'What's this?'

'A present for your daughter, sir. To remind her of her beauty and good grace.'

'She'll be delighted,' he said and Angelica didn't know whether he was being sarcastic or not.

Susan started to squirm and Angelica walked off to change her.

At five o clock, the cake was served. It was chocolate, in the shape of a bunny. Though Angelica would not admit it, she thought it tasted more like rubber than cake. She gulped down her tiny slice not without difficulty.

After cake, everyone was very tired and restless. Too much wine had been drunk by many.

'Sir.' Angelica looked to see Theodore, Lord Capulet's eldest brother, hold something out to him. 'Our present to your daughter.'

It was a pink wrapped package, covered in pink balloons.

'Loons!' Tybalt screamed excitedly. 'I want open!'

'Manners, Tybalt,' Marissa Capulet scolded.

'Please and thank you.'

Theodore handed Tybalt the present and Tybalt tore the wrapping paper off it. Out fell a rather raggedy looking rag doll. It had on a brown dress and button eyes. Tybalt studied the doll for a minute, before, to everyone's surprise, he walked over to Angelica and held the doll out to Susan.

'For you.'

'Tybalt, no, that's for Juliet.'

'Let her have it.' said Lady Capulet, who was looking at the doll in disgust and who was looking very glad that her daiughert didn't get to have such a dirty doll.

'Thank you,' said Angelica, taking the doll from Tybalt. 'Isn't that a nice doll, Susan?'

Susan reached out and grabbed hold of Tybalt's finger. Her lips widened and her eyes sparkled.

It was the first time she had ever smiled.

_So, what did you think? Please review and let me know. I'm quite proud of it, if I do say so myself. But it's your opinion that really matters._

_xox_

_Alessa_


	3. Friends forever

**Susan's Story, Chapter Two, Friends forever**

**Hope you enjoy this next chapter. I'm sorry for the delay but I haven't written anything in a while due to exam results. **

**This chapter's skipped two years so Susan is two years old, as is Juliet. (Even though she won't be in this chapter)**

**Hope you enjoy.**

**Ps, Oh and just so you know, this story is set during the 1996 (5?) version of Romeo and Juliet, so it's ''modern.****'' **

* * *

Two year old Susan Astrelli sat curled up on the floor of her bedroom, silently playing with her doll, Mary-Jane. Her bare feet were curled up beneath her, covered by her two big dress. The dress was a striped lavender pinafore and Mary-Jane wore the same thing.

Mary-Jane was Susan's favourite doll in the whole world. To her two year old mind, it didn't matter if she wasn't as nice as the dolls Juliet had, or if she sometimes got a little muddy in Susan's games outside. Mary-Jane was the closest thing to a friend she had ever jhadn.

''More tea, Mary-Jane?'' she asked, giggling as the doll ''nodded.'' Susan poured an imaginary cup of tea for the doll and both drank, raising their pinkies in the way they had seen the woman Mommy work for do at every stage she was drinking a cup of tea.

''Hello.'' Susan looked up to see a young boy with ebony black hair looking down at her with a smile on her face. She instinctively clutched her doll tighter and crawled into the corner. Susan had never interacted with children before and was terrfied. She knew noone except her Mommy and was not under any circumstances allowed to play with perfect-and-neat Juliet.

''Don't worry, I won't hurt you.'' the boy said, walking tentatively closer, as if Susan was a feral cat.

''You no?'' Susan asked, blinking her eyes a few times.

''I promise. I just came in here 'cause I'm boreded and I ain't got noone to play with so I thought I'd go 'splorin and see if I could find someone a play with me.'' The boy babbled all in one breath.

''Okay.'' said Susan, childlike innocence and wonder overtaking fear in an instant. She crawled over to the boy. ''Sit, please,''

He did so.

''My name's Tybalt, by the way. What's yours?''

''Susan.'' She said proudly.

''Why don't you have a posh name like Juliet?'' Tybalt asked. This name was new to his young ears.

Susan hesitated. ''I dunno. That's what my Mommy called me. And Daddy too, but he's in the sky.''

''I'm sorry,'' said Tybalt immediately, thinking he had hurt this girl's feelings. ''I thinks Susan's a nice name. How old are you?''

''Doo,'' Susan held up three fingers in a moment of innocence. She smiled at Tybalt, not realising her mistake.

Tybalt, to his credit, seemed not to care in the slightest. He gently pushed down one of Susan's fingers and nodded, smiling. ''That's two. And I am four,'' he held up four fingers. ''See, you can nearly use all your fingers to make that. Only one more year 'till I go to school.''

''School?'' Susan asked. The word was alien to her.

''Yeah, where you learns stuff.''

Susan nodded. She liked the sound of school she liked to learn.

''What's your doll's name?''

''Mawy-Dane.''

''Nice name.'' Tybalt, being four, could easily understand Susan's strange way of speaking. He didn't struggle like the adults did, or try to correct her grammar. To his mind, Susan spoke as normaly as anyone else.

''Thank oo.'' Susan smiled. ''I gotted her as a present when I was a baby. That's what Mommy told me.''

Tybalt looked from the doll to Susan, before wonder crossed his face and his eyes widened, his mouth forming the shape of an O.

''I think I gave you this doll!''

''You did?''

Tybalt gently pried Mary-Jane from Susan's fingers and looked at her, turning her upside down and inspecting her on every angle.

''Yeah. My Mommy told me this was supposed to be Jules' doll but I gave it to you instead.'' He said proudly. ''And Jules' Mommy let you keep it.''

Susan smiled. ''Thank oo.'' She said, all fear subsided as she hugged Tybalt to herself, Mary-Jane getting squashed in the middle.

''Your welcome.'' Tybalt said mannerly. ''Friends forever?''

''Fwiends foreber,'' Susan said in that special way of hers. The two shook hands and smiled at each other.

''Tybalt?'' a sharp voice broke them out of bubble. Lady Capulet stood with a grim expression on her face, towering like a giant over the two toddlers.

''Tybalt Capulet, get off that floor this instant!'' She said, yanking on the child's arm, causing a sharp sob. ''You know you don't play in the servant's quarters. I've been looking all over for you, you naughty boy.''

''Owwiee. Aunty, stop pulling me!'' Tybalt whined. ''I'm talking to Susan.''

Gloria nearly slapped Tybalt's face there and then. ''You don't talk to the servant's daughter. You know better than to lower yourself like that. If you want to play with someone play with Juliet or Petruchio.''

''But Susan is my friend,'' Tybalt whined, all manners gone out the window.

''Take that whine out of your voice, young man, or you won't be playing with anyone.''

''Sorry.'' Tybalt muttered. Susan watched this scene in awe.

''Now, come along, Tybalt, lunch is nearly ready.''

Tybalt squirmed under his aunty's grip, his eyes wide and full of tears of indignation and shame at having been scolded at.

''I wanna play with my friend.'' He said.

''No. I told you, it's not proper. You don't want to end up groveling in the dust like a Montague, do you?''

This stopped Tybalt right in his tracks. Noone wanted to be like a Montague, not even a small boy like him.

''Oh! No, no, Aunty, no, I don't ever wanna be like that!'' He burbled.

''Good, because playing with servants is a Montague thing to do.''

Susan looked at the floor in utter shame.

''I'm sorry,'' Tybalt muttered at her. ''I'll come and play again tomorrow, I promise.'' Tybalt really couldn't care less who Susan was. She had shown him kindness and he felt he should return the act. After all, if ''Friends forever'' didn't mean something, what did?

Slowly, the four year old turned to face his aunt.

''Aunty,'' he said perfectly, coming out of his daze. ''I'm sorry for being caught here playing with the servant's. It won't happen again. I'm just bored here with noone to play with. I'll be glad when I am five so I can go to school and make new friends.'' He innocently.

Susan thought then, how Tybalt sounded much older and more mature than his four years.

''That's okay, sweetie. I'm sorry I was harsh with you, but that's how you learn. Now, why don't we eat a nice lunch and later, we might take a drive to the park. Would you like that?''

Tybalt nodded, smiling. ''Thank you!'' said he politely.

Lady Capulet glared down at Susan, as she led her nephew out the door and down into the hall.

Susan kissed Mary-Jane's forehead. ''Friends forever.'' She repeated.

She threw the doll onto the ground and got up off the floor, deciding to take a walk and leaving her there.

She figured she wouldn't need her quite as much anymore.

* * *

**So, what did we think? Review please. **


End file.
